Canto Alla Vita
by DemeterFluff
Summary: Cats fic. Rewrite of a story I wrote something like two years ago. AlonzoCassandra, DemeterMunkustrap, thus far.
1. Prologue

**Prologue **

Alonzo waited as patiently as a young kitten could manage outside his mother's den. He was only a year old, quite young for a Jellicle, and didn't fully understand why he wasn't being allowed to see his mother at the moment. He also wasn't aware that his two sisters were being born.

Glancing around, letting his mind wander, he took in all the Junk that was so familiar. He lived with a tribe of Cats, known as Jellicles, in the middle of a place where humans left their waste, and never ventured, which made it an ideal setting for such a tribe.

Lonzo watched as a nearly four year old marmalade-coloured queen, called Jennyanydots, hurry into his mother's den without saying a word about what she was doing to the little tom. He grumbled after her, but knew better than to ask questions when the air in the Junkyard was filled with anticipation such as this.

His mother's cries of pain from inside her den caused a look of worry to pass his face, but he quickly hid it; a skill he had learned long ago, and which his mother insisted that he had inherited from his father, who he had never known.

"She's having kittens," explained his best friend (whom he regarded as his brother), a strong silver tabby tom called Munkustrap, who had come up behind him with his curious way of appearing when he was needed out of the shadows. Alonzo nodded, pretending he'd known all along, although he figured Munku knew otherwise. Munku had a knack for knowing other Jellicles' secrets.

Lonzo wondered how having kittens again would affect his mother. He was the only surviving kitten from her first litter; the others having been killed by the Mystery Cat, Macavity, himself. His mother, Clytemnestra by name, had cried and mourned so much over the loss of her kittens that Jennyanydots had practically had to raise Lonzo herself.

The screams and cries of pain suddenly stopped. Lonzo looked quizzically at Munku, expecting his friend to know what was going on. "Do you think there's something wrong?" he asked aloud, trying with much difficulty to hide the worry he felt from showing itself on his voice.

Munku simply shrugged. "I've no real idea. Sorry, Lonzo." The two toms watched the door to Clytemnestra's den for what seemed quite a while. Nothing happened for a long while.

After what seemed an eternity to both of the young toms, Jennyanydots appeared, a very somber expression on her pale, orangey face. She knelt down next to where Lonzo sat. "I don't know how to tell you this, Alonzo," she began, using his formal name, telling him that it was something very dire. Lonzo's tail flicked in apprehension, and he waited for Jenny to continue. "You have two sisters..." Tears clouded the green eyes of his marmalade aunt. "But your mother, my sister..."

"Oh Bastet..." Munku murmured as quietly as he could manage. It was obvious that he was catching on to what was being said long before Lonzo did. The gold and black tom stared at Munku, trying to figure out what it was.

"She's dead..." finished an old tom, known as Asparagus (although why he was named this, Lonzo didn't know), as he limped out of the den. His face wore as somber an expression as the Gumbie Cat's.

"No," Lonzo began, shaking his head in utter disbelief of what had happened, "No! She can't have left me here alone..." His eyes gleamed with tears and the pain his face hid so well. "Not when she just had a litter that I am certain will survive..." His breath came in gasps for a moment, before he got a better hold of himself.

"I'm sorry, Alonzo," Jenny continued, embracing her nephew. "I couldn't save her, the strain was too much for her..." There was a pause, and the tension between the Jellicles could almost be physically felt. "But I want you to help me raise your sisters." Her request, almost a command, had broken the silence.

Lonzo almost declined, wondering why he should do anything for his mother when she had just abandoned him. However, he knew his mother was Jenny's sister, and it hurt her that Clytemnestra was gone as much as it hurt him. "I will help you," he spoke at last, his voice faltering as he tried to find words.

Jenny forced a wan smile onto her dark orange lips. "Thank you, Lonzo," she whispered to him. "I know your mother would be happy. She'd be glad to know that you're doing this."

Lonzo's face grew cold, which was a strange appearance for one so young. "Don't lie. She never cared," he hissed. "I'm doing this for her kittens, not her." Jenny's jaw dropped, and she couldn't find anything to say. She opened and closed her mouth soundlessly for a few moments, then just shook her head.

"You shouldn't say such things," she told him hurriedly. "Especially about your mother! She cared about you, she just didn't know how to show it!" Their argument ceased at the appearance of another tom.

"Wha's 'appened?" asked the ginger tom, whose name was Skimbleshanks. He was a little older than Jennyanydots, and was a lot nicer in Lonzo's opinion. Perhaps it was because Alonzo didn't like Jenny's overly-motherly nature towards him, or perhaps because he admired Skimble's work as a railway cat. At any rate, Lonzo neither knew nor cared.

"Clytemnestra's… gone to be with the Everlasting Cat," Jenny mumbled, and her mate embraced her comfortingly. Lonzo thought he heard her sob slightly. Skimble's golden-green eyes softened.

"It's a'right," he assured Jenny. "Everything's gonna be fine." Sniffling, Jenny backed away. Her eyes fell upon Lonzo, who shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of her shining green eyes.

"You'll be staying with Skimble and me, then," she told him. "You're far too young to be out on your own." Lonzo opened his mouth to protest, but the stern look he received from Skimble told him that it would be best not to argue at the moment. His gaze landed upon the ground at his feet.

"Alright," he assented, rather grudgingly. It was then that he noticed that Munkustrap had disappeared. This disheartened him somewhat, though he wasn't sure why.

Jenny smiled warmly at the young tom, and he forced a smile back at her – it wasn't his place to tell her that he didn't want to stay with her. He'd just have to learn to accept it, and spend as much of his time as possible away from the Gumbie cat, who he knew, despite her warm, accepting words, would never treat him as one of her own.

"And you'll help me take care of your sisters?" Alonzo found himself blinking in surprise – it had somehow slipped past him that his sisters had apparently survived, though his mother had not.

"Yes," he replied, trying to imagine himself taking care of kittens, even if they were his sisters. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see it working, but there was no other option. Besides, how could he defy his mother like that? "I'll help you." He smiled rather warmly, he thought, once he had finished speaking.

Jenny smiled in return, then entered the den that had once been Lonzo's mother's, and returned with two, tiny, sleeping kittens in her arms. One was black, with a beautiful white blouse, and brilliant red patches. The other was mostly black as well, also with a white blouse, but with a golden yellow where her sister was red.

"What're their names?" Lonzo found himself asking, almost automatically.

"Well," replied the Gumbie cat, looking down at the two sleeping kittens, "I thought I'd let you help me name them, since your mother isn't here to do it." She blushed, seeming rather embarrassed to be saying that Clytemnestra was, indeed, dead.

Lonzo took another look at each of his sisters, and knew immediately what they should be called. "The red one's Bombalurina, and the gold one's Demeter."


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One **

A full year and a half passed, without much incident. Alonzo's two sisters had grown into lovely queens named Bombalurina and Demeter. Bombalurina was a flirtatious, outgoing queen who reminded Lonzo very much of himself, but Demeter was uncharacteristically shy. While Bomba was a risk taker and was the friend of almost everyone, Demeter almost never spoke at all. Their differences puzzled their brother, when ever he thought about them.

Lonzo and Munku had long since given up trying to rile her up by playing tricks on her, because she invariably did nothing in return and instead simply let them pick on her. Bomba was a much more fun target for their practical jokes.

And that was what lead the two toms to be sneaking up on the red queen, each with a discarded balloon full of puddle water in their paws. However, before they got too close, Bomba heard them coming.

"Don't you dare..." she warned sternly before even turning around. Both Bomba and Demi seemed to have the uncanny ability to tell what was going to happen before it did. Though this talent alarmed many of the Jellicles, their brother just took it in stride. Lonzo grinned at Munku, and they both threw the balloons full force at Bomba anyway.

The red queen screamed in fury when the balloons exploded simultaneously on her back. "YOU!!" she screeched, unable to think of anything mean to say as a retort. "You know, this means WAR!"

The two toms loped away, without a single, intelligible word exchanged, laughing hysterically. "Munkustrap," came the reprimanding voice of the Jellicle leader, who happened to be Munkustrap's grandfather, Old Deuteronomy. Munku groaned under his breath.

"Get outta here before he brings you into this," whispered the silver tom to his friend. "Yes, Grandpa?" he asked innocently a moment later. Lonzo heeded Munku's advice, and scurried off into the shadows, but stuck around once there to wait for his friend.

"Your kittenish pranks must soon stop, Munkustrap," Old Deuteronomy spoke, his raspy voice made him seem ancient. "You're past two and a half years old now, much too old to behave in such ways." Lonzo and Munku both practically mouthed the words with the Jellicle Leader. It was a speech they had heard many times before in the last week and a half alone.

"I know, I know," Munku said at last. He didn't remind his grandfather that a Jellicle was considered a kitten until three human years old. Instead, he turned silently away and followed Lonzo into the shadows.

Once they were a considerable distance from the tyre upon which Old Deuteronomy sat all day, they were greeted by a creamy-brown queen who tossed rings of bright yellow dandelions and deep purple sweet-violets about their necks. Lonzo eyed the queen, half a year younger than himself and Cassandra by name, skeptically.

"And what are the flowers for, Cassie?" he asked her, with a cute cock of his head. She giggled insanely for a moment.

"Happy Beltane, you idiot," she informed him between laughs. Her wonderful smile caught his eye, and held it for a moment. He shook it off. "It's the first of May by the human calendar, Beltane by ours." Cassie wore a crown made of woven pure white sweet-violets around her head, balanced between her exotic ears. She was an exotic short hair, born the daughter of Exotica and an unknown stray. She was also one of Lonzo's crushes.

"How could you forget Beltane?" asked Munku, pretending to be stunned. "Even I remembered it this year." Lonzo shook his head, and said nothing.

Cassie threw her arms about Lonzo's neck, and jumped upon him, digging her knees painfully into his side. He gritted his teeth, and did nothing for a moment. Then an idea suddenly popped into his head.

"Shall we see how much Miss Cheerful Cassandra, Queen of Beltane likes being kitnapped?" he asked Munku with a sly grin. Munku nodded, a grin passing over his features as well.

"No..." Cassie warned, alarm flashing over her face, but it was by then far too late. Lonzo had already grabbed her waist and slung her over his shoulder. "Eeeek!" she cried out, and tried to kick the older tom, who just laughed.

"And shall we see how much she enjoys being dumped in a mud-puddle?" inquired Munku, with a mischievous smile. Lonzo nodded his response, and they headed toward an opening in the drain-pipe that gave the Junkyard its water supply. There they knew that they could find a mud-puddle with tremendous ease.

"Don't you dare…!" Cassandra growled, her eyes wide. She knew they would.

Sure enough, when they got within twenty feet of the opening, puddles littered the ground, which was soggy from rain. They searched out the dirtiest one, and promptly dropped Cassandra on her head into it. The brown queen lay on her back in the puddle, unable to breathe for a moment after having the wind knocked out of her.

"You evil... THING!" she spat when she regained the ability to speak. "I'll get you back for this!" But by the time this was said, the two best friends were out of hearing distance, once more laughing hysterically.

Traditionally, on the night of Beltane, the Jellicle tribe would have a festival similar in most respects to the Jellicle Ball itself, only not necessarily held under the light of a full moon. It was at this festival that the queen and tom that would come of age that year at the Jellicle Ball were decided upon. Old Deuteronomy would make the decision, and would announce his choices to the rest of the tribe.

Evening was imminent. The sun had barely gone down, and all the Jellicles were gathering near the centre of the Junkyard. The centre had been decorated by some of the younger queens of the tribe. Flowers and petals were scattered along the ground in random swirls, but it gave the Junkyard a somewhat magickal feel.

A half moon had begun to rise, and there were sparse clouds in the sky above the Junkyard. Bombalurina closed her eyes, and relished the familiar scent of the Junkyard. It was home, and it always would be.

She wondered who would be chosen by the Jellicle Leader to have their coming of age at the Jellicle Ball. She knew it would most likely not be herself. There were a few queens older than herself who had not had theirs yet, namely Cassandra and Tantomile.

The Jellicles began to come out of hiding as night fully set in. The air grew slightly colder, but was nothing like the winter that had just passed. She noted that the older Jellicles seemed to congregate nearer to Old Deuteronomy than the younger Jellicles. Perhaps the younger cats just didn't want to be watched too closely. She, however, didn't care how closely she was watched, as long as she got Munku and Lonzo back for their earlier prank.

Bomba noticed that her sister was looking uncomfortable, and seemed to not want to be there, so she added 'make Demi not so uptight and quiet' to her list of things to do that night. She might be forced to spend the entire evening trying to accomplish both of her tasks. However, she decided that it would be well worth it if she could do both.

Her sister, on the other paw, was planning to stay out of the way for the entire celebration, after deciding that she would probably ruin everyone else's time at the festival. Loneliness was beginning to eat away at her inside. Presently, she felt her sister's presence approach her.

"Demi?" came Bomba's contralto voice in a very hushed and private manner. "Demi? What's wrong?" Demi closed her eyes to avoid having to look directly at her sister.

"Nothing," she lied, wishing Bomba would leave it at that and say nothing more to her about it that evening.

"There's something wrong," Bomba persisted, and a growl almost rose in Demi's throat. "I can tell when you're lying Demi."

"It's nothing," Demi repeated. "You shouldn't concern yourself with it." She turned her back on her sister and decided to say nothing more, even if Bomba should speak to her. Her sister sighed in utter exasperation.

Apparently, Bomba decided to listen to what she said, for her presence moved off to another place. Demi was relieved deep in her heart. She hadn't wanted to discuss things with her sister at all, much less at a festival.

Bomba, however, was intent on making her sister a happier feline. She took another look at her sister, and decided that she had had enough of watching her sister stay in the shadows, longing to be a true part of the Jellicle tribe. Bomba and Alonzo were the only Jellicles that even thought that Demi might be blaming herself for their mother's death. They were the only Jellicles who knew why she was so quiet and isolated all the time.

Alonzo was only a little surprised when Bombalurina joined Munkustrap and himself near the Old Ford. "Hey, sis," he greeted her with a smile, hoping she had by now forgotten the balloon prank they had pulled. And although her face was serious, it seemed she had.

"We have to do something about Demi," she told him briefly. "She's too unhappy, for no real reason..."

"She's still blaming herself for Mother's death," he responded with a light-hearted toss of his black, gold and white head. "I'm sure she'll get over it at some point."

"No," Bomba hissed. "She hasn't yet... who's to say it will ever change? So we must do something to help her get past it." Her expression remained serious, and she knew that Lonzo had no real intentions of helping her in her crusade.

"She's too stubborn, just like you," he continued with a yawn which he had been trying to stifle for quite some time; it was getting rather late. "You forget that I know her as well as you, Bomba. I don't think she'll ever change, and it's useless to try." Bomba growled at him.

"Fine," she spat. "Then don't help me. If she thinks you don't care about her, then that's your problem and you'll have to deal with it." She moved off, perhaps to find Cassandra, without another word to either of the toms.

Munku had not said a word the entire time, and when Lonzo turned to ask him what he thought they should do, the silver tom had disappeared, once more using his curious ability to melt into the shadows.

Lonzo frowned for a moment before getting Munku's message in leaving. He should help his sister with Demi. Bomba would need his help to get through to her. Without wasting another moment, he darted after Bomba.

It was almost a full minute before he caught up to her. She was walking at a brisk pace, and didn't seem to want his help. "I thought you didn't care," she said icily. "Did you have an attack of conscience, my dear brother?"

Lonzo growled, and one of his eyes twitched involuntarily, but for the most part, he hid his disgust with her. In reply, he said nothing; he only followed her for quite a ways.

"Where are we going?" he asked at last.

"To find Demi."

"What do you mean?"

Bomba paused, turned, and gave her brother an unusually serious glare. "You can't tell me you didn't sense her leave."

Demeter had left a short while after her sister had departed. She didn't want to be dragged into the festival; she knew that that was what was coming next. Bomba would make her dance with someone and she would make an utter fool of herself. It was something she desperately wanted to avoid.

The truth was, other Jellicles intimidated her. She didn't feel at all comfortable around any of them except her siblings. Jennyanydots made her feel unwanted, Deuteronomy made her feel ignored (even the Jellicle Leader didn't have time for her), and so on and so on with the rest of the tribe. It was always the same: unwanted, ignored, useless, inferior. And she hated it.

She needed to get away; to be by herself for a while. She needed to be away from those who loved her because they were expected to, not because they really cared about her.

Even though she tried to pretend she was happy and content, loneliness was eating away at her strength inside. She no longer cared about being alive, or about anyone around her, not even Bomba or Lonzo, both of whom she idolized above everything and everyone else in the tribe. They were both so... outgoing, wonderful, friendly, ideal, understanding, attractive... perfect. They were everything she wished she could be. They were everything she knew that she would never be able to be.

Her life seemed full of endless comparisons... Why can't you be more like your sister? Why can't you be more like your brother? Why can't you be responsible like Munkustrap? Why can't you be more mature like Jellylorum?

And so she had come to believe that she was only a burden to those around her. Still, she didn't see what stood before her: a silver tom by the name of Munkustrap who would do anything possible to see her smile at him, to see her look at him. To him, she was absolute perfection, or at least she would be if she could get over her troubles.

But she never saw him in that sense, never even noticed that he paid special attention to her, that he watched her at every opportunity he got. She never smiled any more, either. To her, life was too pointless to smile any more. It was too pointless to keep living...

And so it came to be that on that evening, the Beltane Festival Eve, Demeter decided to end it all; to kill herself and end the burden she was absolutely certain she placed on everyone around her.

She searched almost frantically through a pile of discarded human junk until she located a discarded razor that humans used for some purpose which was unknown to the Jellicles. Using her claws, she twisted one of the blades out of it. She slipped it in-between the two layers of leather that made up her collar with an almost sadistic smile passing over her lips.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two **

The edges of the Junkyard seemed far away, but she reached them quickly by running as fast as her legs would carry her. A chill breeze from the north ruffled her fur and she shivered. She almost thought she heard footsteps. Cautiously, her eyes widened with fear, she paused, and looked around. The Junkyard was still around her, and there was no sign of another Jellicle. Remembering the task at hand, her face sobered and her eyes narrowed. The moon was high. It was time.

The razor felt cool against the pads of her paw despite having been lodged in the layers of leather in her collar until a few seconds before. She held the blade to one of her pale ruby wrists and hesitated for but a moment.

"Don't." The voice was quiet, but stern. It didn't belong to a relative, but she knew who it was who had spoken: Munkustrap.

"What do you want?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. She had mixed emotions about his presence. Part of her wanted to thank him for caring enough to stop her, part of her wanted to run away from him and carry out what she had intended to do. More cautiously, she continued, "Why did you follow me?"

"I want to make sure you're okay," he responded, taking the razor blade away from her before she even noticed he had approached her. "I followed you because I saw you leaving. It wouldn't make sense for you to leave during a festival, so I thought something was up."

Demi was tangled in an inner argument: should she tell him the truth or not? She bit her lip, and tried to decide what she should do. "What I do is not your concern," she muttered at last.

"On the contrary," Munku replied, but he didn't elaborate on it. His remark confused her a bit, though she said nothing of it.

"Oh?" she asked. "What do you want of _me_? I am the Jellicle who is ignored. The queen who raised me hasn't time for me. My sister and my brother have no time for me. Even your grandfather the great Old Deuteronomy has not time for me." Although she didn't know it, Munku wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her, and to tell her that to him, she was perfect as she was. He marveled at his restraint when he didn't.

She looked so sad, he reflected, and he wished she would smile. Simply seeing her during the day would make his day all the better, but it was when she smiled that he thought she looked the most beautiful.

"No one who isn't expected to loves me. Not even Old Deuteronomy."

"Don't say such things without thinking," Munku advised. His grandfather, though he loved Demeter as he loved all of his Jellicle "children", had once told him that he may have to give up on trying to win Demeter's affection, and he was starting to wonder if Deuteronomy may have been right all along on the matter.

"What's to think about?" she spat angrily. "Do you think that I am blind?" A growl almost rose in her throat once again, and she considered running away from him. _What is he up to?_ She couldn't help wondering.

"In some ways," he began softly, "Yes. You are." Without another word, he turned and left. Demi wanted to watch him go, but footsteps coming from another direction got her attention instead. She recognized the footstep patterns of Bomba and Lonzo.

In a short while, her siblings emerged from the shadows. "What did you come here for?" asked Lonzo, not trying to sound mean, but it came out with a hint of harshness about it.

"The festive air was stifling," she lied. "Here, it's quiet and serene. I like it better here." Her voice came out little more than a whisper. It always did when she was around her siblings, only adding to their belief that they intimidated her.

Bomba almost rolled her eyes at her sister, but decided not to, because Demi might very well be telling the truth. Both she and Lonzo knew that Demi did not enjoy parties of any kind, save the Jellicle Ball (which, of course, all Jellicles loved).

"But you're okay... right?"

Demi nodded, after deciding not to tell them that only moments before she had been about to end her own life. Her own thoughts of suicide had gone, and she found this strange.

"Do you want to go back to the Beltane Festival?" inquired Lonzo after a moment of almost tense silence between the three Jellicles. After another moment, Demi nodded once more. She didn't really want to return, but felt she owed it to her siblings after running off on them.

Together, they walked in silence back to the main area of the Junkyard. Bomba and Lonzo could both sense another aspect to Demeter's story that she wasn't telling them, but neither said a thing to her. She would most likely tell them when she was ready to.

The mood between the three Jellicles lightened as they drew nearer to the centre of the Junkyard a short while later. Lonzo went in search of either Munkustrap or his other best friend, the playboy Rum Tum Tugger, but Bomba decided that she had better stay with her sister.

"What did you really leave for?" she asked, her curiosity and concern at last getting the better of her.

"Exactly what I told you I left for," Demi lied again, this time smiling a bit. "You know as well as I that I do not enjoy parties." Bomba was not totally convinced.

"Come on," she persisted. "There must be something more." She smiled at her younger sister. "But if you don't want to tell me, that's fine for now." Demi remained silent. Bomba sighed. "Why don't you have some fun? Lighten up a little!"

Demi looked at the ground. "I don't know..." she murmured, her voice hushed, as it usually was when speaking to her sister. Bomba smiled once more.

"Come with me," she said, taking her sister's ruby red paw. She led Demi into the group of younger Jellicles who were dancing to music that was coming from no where and everywhere at the same time. "Now dance."

Lonzo found Munku a short while after he went in search of the silver tom. Munku's face showed concern for something, but what, Lonzo couldn't guess. "Okay, what's wrong with you?" asked Lonzo.

"Your sister," Munku began, almost hesitatingly, "Demi."

"What about her?" Lonzo replied, and Munku could easily tell that he didn't know. Munku sighed, and then explained.

"I saw her leave before you or Bomba sensed it, and I followed her. She found a discarded human razor and was going to kill herself." Lonzo's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. Demi had always been content, hadn't she?

"Why?" he asked incredulously after an intense moment of not knowing what to say. "Why would she do such a thing? Isn't she happy?"

Munku shook his head. "I wouldn't know, but I'm guessing she feels that she is inadequate." He wasn't sure exactly how Lonzo was taking it; he couldn't tell from the gold and black tom's face.

"We can't tell Bomba. Not yet. I don't know what she'd think or what she'd do..." Lonzo was confused, and it became apparent. However, he was wise in deciding not to tell his sister. Without another word said, the two toms returned to the festival.

They got back to the main area of the Junkyard in just a few moments, and arrived in time to hear who was going to come of age that year. Old Deuteronomy announced the Mystical Twins, Tantomile and Coricopat.

The twins were barely under three, which meant they would be right on time for their coming of age ceremony. Everyone liked Tanta and Cori, and they agreed with Deuteronomy's choice on the matter.

The Festival of Beltane was now over; every Jellicle could sense it. They all departed in a feat similar to the end of the Naming of Cats ceremony of the Jellicle Ball; each Jellicle melted away into the background, and the Festival was done.

The festival had, in truth, been a magical time for Demeter, even if she didn't openly admit it to anyone. Bomba had gotten her to dance with the rest of the tribe, and she finally felt she fit in with them, at least for a time. She watched the moon sinking ever farther toward the distant horizon, and she was content.

Confusion bit at the back of her mind, tormenting her with questions. _Does Bomba care at all about you? Are your siblings disappointed in you? Why did Munkustrap stop you from doing the inevitable?_

_It's not inevitable that I kill myself_, she reminded herself sternly. _But what did Munku mean that I am blind sometimes to some things? Is it because I didn't see that my brother and sister might care about me, or was it something more? _

Lonzo was lost in thought when Cassie caught sight of him. "Lonzo!" she called to him happily and came running up until she was standing next to him. "What are you thinking about? You look so ... serious." Her face held a contorted expression after the final comment, as though she thought it strange of him.

"It's nothing you need to worry about," he replied flashing a winning smile up in her direction. "It's about my sister." Cassie smiled in return, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling in the last remaining drops of moonlight.

"If I don't need to worry about it, neither should you," she replied almost teasingly, giving him a sly smile of her own. She knelt down next to where he was sitting. "You don't need to worry about them so much. I'm sure by now they know how to take care of themselves, and besides, Jennyanydots is their guardian."

Lonzo decided to drop the subject; he figured Cassie wouldn't understand the responsibility he felt for his two younger sisters. Cassie, too, said nothing more of it. They sat together in silence for several moments.

"What did you think of the festival?" Lonzo asked, breaking the numbing silence that had seemingly surrounded them.

"It was fun," Cassie replied quickly, but Lonzo knew that it wasn't necessarily the truth she spoke. She sounded a little downcast. "But I didn't get to dance with you," she added with a slight frown that Lonzo knew she was trying to conceal from him. "I was hoping I would get to."

"I had some things I had to take care of," Lonzo explained, trying to boost her spirits. "However, we can dance now if you'd like." Cassie smiled shyly and took his paw. They rose in unison and began to dance a slow, beautiful pas de deux.

Cassie's slender form had incredible flexibility, and her dancing flowed beautifully. Lonzo was thrilled to dance with her.

After what seemed only a short time to them, their graceful dance came to an end. Together, they strolled around the Junkyard's edges for quite some time. "Lonzo," Cassie began quietly. "I think I'm falling in love with you..."

"Me too," he replied, and he leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. He purred loudly, and wrapped his arms around her.

Demeter yawned, and silently rose to her feet. The sun had still not yet risen; she knew had not slept long, but she sensed now that there was something, or someone, nearby. "Who's there?" she asked nervously, her eyes searching over the Junkyard around her and her sister. Bomba was still sound asleep.

"Bomba?" she roused her sister from slumber. "I sense someone... watching us..." Bomba's eyes flashed worry, but her face hid it, a talent she and Lonzo both shared.

"Who?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

A low growl startled the sisters from their brief argument. "Who's there?!" demanded the red queen, a loud, emphatic hiss rising in her throat. Her eyes scanned the area, but she saw no one. The sound of the growl came from everywhere and no where at once.

"You know who I am," came a low, male voice presently. A wild looking red tom sauntered into view, flamboyantly waving his tail back and forth. There was a menacing gleam in his bright yellow eyes.

"Macavity..." whispered the two sisters in unison. Demeter stepped back, almost as though she were trying to hide in the shadows of the Junkyard from the Hidden Paw.

"Stay away from us," Bomba hissed, threateningly. "Demi, get out of here." She turned to Demi, and her eyes almost begged her little sister to leave.

"No! I can't leave you to fight him off on your own!" Demi cried, showing evidence of bravery she never knew she had inside her. Macavity grinned, and Demi was afraid. She wanted to run away, but refused to leave her sister.

"She's a brave little thing," Macavity commented, his golden eyes gleaming behind the fierceness that shone in them. Bomba growled, showing her anger. She had yet to learn that this was not a good fighting technique.

"Do what you like, but leave her alone."

"Bomba! I can take care of myself!" Demi spat. Bomba turned to her and looked almost hurt, and she immediately regretted saying it. As soon as her sister's attention was diverted, Macavity tackled her, slamming her to the ground. Bomba gasped in surprise, and tried to throw him off, but to no avail.

In an effort to help, Demi kicked him hard on the shoulder. He grabbed her foot, and threw her to the ground. Pain shot through her head, and for a moment she couldn't breathe. It was only a moment longer before everything around her faded into blackness.

"Demi!" cried Bomba. It was only a moment more before Macavity smothered her cries as well. In what would cause many tears later, he left Bomba, and stole away with her sister lying unconscious in his arms...


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three **

An unknown amount of time having passed, Bomba found herself somehow awake. It was not yet fully day, but not night any longer either. She worriedly searched the near vicinity for some sign of her sister. She found nothing.

_Please Bastet, don't let him hurt her, don't let him hurt her!_ She prayed to the Cat Goddess as she ran to find Munkustrap. She knew he would help. If not for her, for Demi.

He found her almost before she saw him. "What is it?" he asked from the shadows. She could faintly tell he'd been asleep until moments before.

One word explained it all: "Macavity." Munku understood well. After all, Macavity was his older brother. He had probably sensed the Mystery Cat's presence and knew that it was only a matter of time before he struck.

"What did he do? Did he hurt you or someone else…?" Bomba shook her head, her green eyes showed the trouble that she felt.

"A while ago... I don't know what time... he appeared and attack us... that is, me and Demi... she and I argued for a moment.... I wanted her to leave and save herself before he hurt her... she refused. She didn't want to leave me with that monster... The rest is so vague... I know for certain he attacked me and she tried to stop him, but he ended up knocking her unconscious on the ground... then I don't remember anything else..."

It was strange, but somehow Lonzo knew something bad had happened to his sisters. Cassie was still asleep in his arms, and he tried not to wake her as he set her down gently on the ground. She sighed and curled into a ball, but didn't wake.

The black, gold and white tom set off to locate his sisters. Hopefully both of them, that is. The Junkyard was still all around, and he found Bomba talking to Munkustrap a short while later.

"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing the trouble expressions they both wore. He also noticed the absence of his other sister. "And where's Demi?"

"Demi... she's gone," Bomba explained, tears welling in her deep green eyes.

"Macavity kitnapped her," Munku added. Lonzo growled at the mere mention of the Jellicles' enemy. He felt his fur bristle with anger.

"We have to get her back," he decided. "Before he hurts her." Munku nodded, but his expression was still stern and concerned. Lonzo knew why. He was the only one besides Munku who knew that the silver tom was secretly in love with Demi.

Bomba wiped a tear from her eye. "If you go to find her, I'm coming with you." Her voice showed her determination. She desperately wanted to help them, and Lonzo knew she felt guilty, but why, he did not understand. It was not her fault.

"You may come if you like," Munku said, obviously trying to make her feel better. It was something he was always good at; Lonzo guessed he'd inherited it from his grandfather. It may have also been merely because Bomba was strong for her age and a good fighter, even in her youth.

Whatever the reason, it was decided amongst them that Bomba would accompany the toms to find her sister.

They were set to depart, but waited to inform Jennyanydots of the situation at hand, so that someone might be able to come after them, should they be unable to return. The queen who had acted as mother to both Lonzo and Bomba was hesitant to let them go alone.

"You should take someone... an adult, that is... with you," she insisted. Munku frowned a bit.

"She thinks we're not responsible enough to handle this on our own," he commented, deliberately just loud enough for Jenny to overhear, as well as for Lonzo and Bomba to hear it.

"It's not that..." Jenny protested weakly. "I just don't want any of you to come back injured." The excuse made sense, but Lonzo wondered if Munku would be too hard-headed (as he could be on occasion) to take the elder queen's advice.

As it turned out, he was not, and allowed Jenny to suggest that they take Skimbleshanks with them to Macavity's lair. Skimble was getting toward middle age, but he was an excellent fighter. He came soon after Jenny summoned him.

"What is it?" he asked sternly, as was his common habit. "Out with it, all of ye." His green eyes sparkled with wonder, but it ceased when he began to realize that it was far more serious than he had originally thought.

"Demeter's been kitnapped," Lonzo was the first to speak. "By Macavity." The expression on Skimble's face showed that he was as worried as they.

"Well, then, what are we waitin' for?" the marmalade tabby asked, rather loudly. "Let's get goin'!" He was off with out much adieu, waiting for only a moment. With a glance at the others, Lonzo followed him quickly, with both Munku and Bomba at his heels.

Demeter awoke, when, she could not be entirely sure. She had no idea where she was, and found it difficult to remember what had happened. Sitting up, she shook her head to clear it, but found that it did not help the aching within her head. She lay back down with a low moan. Her head was spinning, and much of her was numb. "Uuugh," she murmured, and felt a paw on her shoulder. She lacked the strength to ask who it was, although she had a gut feeling that it was Macavity.

"I see you're awake," the baritone voice of the Mystery Cat drifted through Demeter's head, echoing over and over. She groaned again. A grin spread over his lips, and his paw caressed her face. She used an exhausting bit of her strength to jerk herself away.

"Leave me alone," she barely spoke. Her voice was so quiet that it was very hard to hear, even for herself. Macavity smirked at her. She closed her eyes as the world began to spin again. Tears of pain clouded her crystal blue-green eyes as a headache overwhelmed her. "What are you doing to me?" she amazed herself that she was able to summon the strength to make the demand.

Macavity's grin was taunting her. He knew as well as she that she wasn't yet strong enough or far enough out of unconsciousness to keep him from whatever foul plan he was enacting. Another wave of pain roared through her head, almost causing her to scream in pain.

A laugh came from Macavity's throat, taunting her just as his smile had been. "Why are you doing this to me?" she begged. His wicked smile returned to his face.

"Why, Demi, do you think I would tell you?" He was mocking her, and for some reason wanted her to get mad. Did he want a reason to hurt her? She couldn't tell. She was too weak to argue, but it wasn't as if she would want to anyway.

Questions were suddenly plaguing her mind. She was so inconspicuous... how did he even know her name? What did he want from her? What did she have to give him? Although she did not know it, she did have something he would find her useful for: Munkustrap's undying love.

The Mystery Cat looked up suddenly. He sensed someone approaching. "Cugara!" he barked in that raspy voice of his. At the call, a rather small, thin, scraggly silver queen appeared in the doorway. If she had had the strength, Demeter would have wondered who she was. "I believe we have some guests," Macavity continued. "Take care of them."

With a sly smile and a curt nod of her head, the queen departed. She stopped in her assigned quarters briefly before she left. She buckled a thick leather belt (it had actually been a bracelet that had once belong to a punk goth human) around her thin waist, and slipped a weighty sword (that was actually a thin knife) in the sheath that was at her side. She flicked her tail impatiently, and wrapped it around the sheath of her sword. Being a mercenary could be great fun, but Macavity didn't pay enough for her taste. He wanted her to kill on a measly payment of free board? She would have to demand more, but first, she had a job to do...

The four Jellicles found themselves nearing Macavity's territory. "I don't like this," Bomba whispered nervously. "It's too quiet here." Munku nodded. Indeed, it was seemingly too quiet. Normally, whenever they took so much as a step onto Macavity's territory, he was there in an instant to stop them. _He must have a bigger plan for us_, Munku decided. However, he did not voice his thoughts on the matter. Doubtless the others thought much the same.

Alonzo noticed that his friend was suddenly lost in thought. "What are you thinking about?" he inquired, his voice somewhat hushed, even in the still of the morning.

Munku shook his head. "To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure," he admitted. "But this is unlike Macavity - letting us get this close to his lair without making a single move to stop us. And kidnapping a queen who matters little to the tribe, except to us. What is he trying to pull this time?"

Lonzo didn't know what to answer. He hadn't really thought too deeply into the situation. As usual, Munku had. "I don't know," he replied at last. "I honestly don't know." And Munku had known he wouldn't have had an answer; none of them did. Not that it was in the least a simple answer, indeed; it was a mixture of jealousy and hatred on Macavity's part.

"Shh," Skimble hushed them both only a moment after Lonzo finished. "We're gettin' closer, so we'd better be quiet."

"No need," came a strong female voice from the shadows nearby, although no one could be seen in the darkness. "I will see to it that you go no further." The voice was vaguely familiar to both Munku and Lonzo, but neither could directly place it.

A ridiculously small, silver tabby queen stepped forward. Her head was lowered, and when she raised it to stare defiantly at them, her violet-blue eyes sparkled with a flame that the Jellicles had never seen before. A heavy sword was slipped into a sheath bound to her waist by a leather belt. She was a warrior cat of the streets.

A growl rose in Munku's throat. Skimble was already taking a defensive pose, but both Munku and Lonzo doubted that he could handle the warrior-queen on his own. They knew that warrior-cats were fearsome opponents when taken one-on-one. The only way to have a chance at defeating them was to attack them and outnumber them.

Bombalurina hissed, the fire of her anger sending tongues of inner flame flaring behind her bright emerald-green eyes. The queen only laughed, taunting Bomba, trying to entice her into fighting; a style Munku recognized quickly.

"Cugara," he breathed almost inaudibly. It all made sense to himself and to Lonzo with that one uttering. Cugara was Munku's half-sister. She had left the Jellicles during a time of war, when Munku's older brother Macavity also abandoned the tribe. The very fact that she had violet-blue eyes so like Munku's, and the same fur colouration and pattern should have been more than enough to explain her identity to them.

The queen cast a grin at Munku and Lonzo. "So you know who I am, dear brother," she sneered. "No matter. I've long wanted to kill you anyway."

Munku growled. "Are you so confident, so sure that I will not kill you first, Cugara?" His message was silent, but easily detected by Lonzo. He would counter Cugara's attacks as long as he could, but they were to find Demeter and rescue her from Macavity.

Munkustrap growled deeply, wondering vaguely if Cugara would get the message that what he was doing was far more important to him than money would ever be to her. If she got his message, she didn't seem to care one bit; not that she ever cared much about what he thought about anything.

"Ooh," she began, more mockingly than usual, "I think my dearest brother is getting angry with me." She paused momentarily to note his reaction. Antagonizing others was one of Cugara's strongest points. "Too bad I let the others escape..." she continued melodramatically. "I guess they'll rescue the poor damsel in distress... at least I have you as an excuse for not following them and killing them."

Then it hit him. She had gotten his point, and her way with Macavity and his money. She got her money and a place to stay for free (at least for a while), and Demeter would be saved. He would just have to fight Cugara to keep her busy so she wouldn't get bored and change her mind on the decision. He lunged at her, claws extended, and she jumped out of the way with one of her usual loud giggles (she reminded him a lot of Rumpelteazer when she fought him).

"That's the spirit!" she cheered loudly, and pulled her broad-sword (which she had named "Calypso", although why any one would want to name a sword was a matter beyond Munku) so that it was pointing at him. She in turn pounced at him, with the sword aimed at his chest, and he dodged also, but struck out at her, catching her off guard and knocking the sword away. She frowned and growled at the same time, but all the same refused to give up. Seconds later, she dived after her sword, and caught it in her paw mid-roll.

In an instant, she was back on her rear paws, with the sword pointed threateningly at her brother. She was grinning, as always when she was fighting. Cugara lived to fight. She didn't care about money as much as she loved fighting, and she probably never would. Munku narrowed his eyes, and his brow furrowed involuntarily. Cugara smirked at him.

Munku flexed his claws, planning his next move against his sister. Cugara eyed him carefully, trying to guess his next move; something she was very good at. However, Munku was very good at hiding his next move. The fight came to a halt, at least for a moment.

With sudden ferocity that Munku had almost forgotten Cugara was capable of, the small, silver queen pounced at him, hitting his shoulder with all her weight, knocking him to the ground. Munku hissed at her, and shoved her off, jumping back onto his feet the instant she was off of him.

The thought of their fight being pointless drifted through Munku's head, and he forced the thought away, remind himself that he was fighting for Demi's freedom from Macavity's grasp. This remembrance gave him renewed strength against Cugara, and she was delighted. She still managed to dodge every blow he threw at her. In all their fighting, Cugara only landed one blow on Munku, a slice across his chest from her sword.

"Don't let your thoughts wander," Cugara hissed, as she almost pinned Munku against a nearby warehouse wall. Munku brought his legs up and kicked his sister off of him.

"I don't think you should worry yourself about that," Munku sneered back.

Meanwhile... Demeter tried quite hard to sit up, but found once more that she couldn't move her body at all. "Why are you doing this?" she mumbled vaguely at the watchful ginger tom who was her captor. Macavity smirked at her vindictively.

"I already told you that I'm not going to tell you anything," he replied mysteriously, somewhat contradicting himself. "You'll find out when you're stupid Jellicle friends arrive to save you." So she had been right; he was only using her as bait for someone else... most likely Munkustrap or Alonzo.

"But... why me?" she asked. "You could have taken Bomba. Everyone would have missed her. No one will miss me." Macavity's eyes narrowed, and he said nothing for a moment, as though he were debating what to say to her without revealing too much to her.

"That is where you are wrong," he said at last, leaning uncomfortably close to her. She didn't like feeling his warm breath against her cheek. She closed her eyes in disgust, and turned her face away from him. He reached his paw to her face, and turned her slightly to face him so that she could see into his amber-gold eyes, then kissed her.

"Don't touch me!" Demi demanded, but it sounded very weak.

"I'll do as I please..." he sneered, grinning and showing off his fangs, and she passed out from fright. The last thing she heard was an evil laugh from the Mystery Cat.


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four **

"Where could she be?" Bomba whined, as they searched through yet another warehouse. Her face clearly showed her concern for her missing sister, but Alonzo didn't know what he could do to help her feel better. He felt terrible that their sister had been kitnapped too.

"I don't know, but I know we'll find her," Lonzo assured his sister. Bomba forced a smile.

"Let's just keep lookin'," Skimble urged them. The siblings nodded, and the three continued to look in the rooms of the warehouses.

"Wait..." Lonzo said suddenly. They paused and grew silent, and could barely hear voices in the next room over. One voice, a low, male voice, was obviously Macavity's, but the other was so quiet that they couldn't distinguish who it was. Who ever it was, they were pleading with Macavity. "We should help them, even if it isn't Demi," Lonzo whispered. Skimble and Bomba both nodded gravely, and the three felines set off once more.

They hurried to the next room, and Skimble and Lonzo knocked the door (which was quite weak on its hinges, being old and abandoned) into the room. They were quite startled to see that it was Demi they had rescued.

Macavity was holding her in his arms, but at the sight of them, dropped her on the floor and ran. He hadn't expected them to get away from his mercenary so quickly. It had caught him off guard, and they were very thankful for that.

Demi looked very shaken as she sat up. Bomba rushed to her side, and helped her to her feet. "Are you alright, Demi?" she asked hurriedly. Demi nodded slightly as she rose to her feet.

"Please," she murmured, "Let's leave. I don't like it here... Macavity could come back." Lonzo nodded to his sister almost numbly. They left Macavity's darkened lair in utter silence and as quickly as they could. Eerily, they encountered no one as they left. Perhaps Macavity had some odd plan in store for them. They tried not to think about it.

Munkustrap and Cugara were still fighting viciously when Cugara noticed the other Jellicles approaching from a distance away. She growled at her brother and in one swift movement, vanished into the shadows of the warehouse. Munkustrap stood, quite thoroughly confused, for a moment, before he heard the footsteps of his fellow Jellicles approaching. He whirled around, and was relieved to find Demi with them, being carried by Alonzo.

Bomba was smiling, obviously pleased. "She's okay," she grinned as they neared the silver tabby tom. "Let's go home." Munku nodded.

"Yes," agreed Skimble. It was apparent that the entire ordeal had had some more sinister plan that hadn't worked out. "Let's get goin' before Macavity comes back with some of 'is rats." The other Jellicles nodded, and they all hurried off through the streets of London .

A short while later, they arrived back at the Junkyard fence. The rather small cats slipped through the hole near the bottom of the fence. It was by that time that Demi was not stunned too much to walk any longer. However, she did stare at the ground the entire time she was walking with them, too ashamed to say a word to anyone.

Lonzo and Bomba didn't know what to do. Demi was obviously upset, but they had no idea what they could do to help. "Maybe Jennyanydots can help," Lonzo suggested quietly to his sister. Bomba shrugged.

"I don't know," she replied, "Demi's not too fond of Jenny. She thinks she doesn't care about her as much as she cares about the rest of us." Lonzo furrowed his brow in thought. Maybe Cassie or her mother would know what to do. He knew Exotica, Cassie's mother, had had experience with Macavity before, so she might be able to help them.

"I have an idea, Bomba," he told her, "So I'll be right back," and he slipped away between two piles of human junk. Bomba watched her brother disappear into the shadows beyond the junk pile, and then looked sadly at her sister, who was kneeling on the ground now, still staring at the ground. I hope your idea helps, Lonzo, she thought, staring into the shadows he had vanished into.

Munku appeared next to her. He had been watching Demi with an almost mournful look in his dark eyes. "Where'd Lonzo go off to?" he whispered.

"He said he had an idea," Bomba replied, "Although he didn't elaborate on it to me." Munku nodded understandingly.

"I hope whatever it is, it helps," Munku said, looking at Demi again. She had now curled up into a ball and was apparently sleeping (or, at any rate, trying to sleep).

"Me too," Bomba murmured. By this time, Skimble had vanished, most likely to find Jennyanydots, to see what she could do if Demi had any injuries, although it looked to Bomba and Munku that she just wanted to sleep.

The sun was beginning to rise on the horizon. Bomba watched it sadly, and wondered what Alonzo was doing.

"Cassie?" Lonzo cried out as he approached the place he had left Cassie when he felt something was wrong. There was no sign of the dark cream queen. "Cassie? Where are you?" He sniffed the air, and her scent was obvious.

"Hey Lonzo!" she popped out of no where, with her mother at her heels, almost as if she had known that he wanted to talk to Exi. She noted the worried expression on his face immediately. "What's wrong?" She put her arms about his waist, and hugged him.

"I'm worried about Demi," he told her after a moment's pause. Cassie's dark eyes grew even darker with concern. Demi had always been one of her closer friends.

"What's wrong with her? Is she okay? Is that why you left without waking me last night?" Cassie was now full of both questions and worry. "Do you need my help at all?"

"Well..." Lonzo replied, trying to remember all of her questions so that he could answer them. "Demi was kitnapped by Macavity last night. We got her back okay, but we think he might have done something to her. She's hasn't really said anything, but we don't know for sure. She seems to be okay, but she seems tired and upset at the same time. Yes, that is why I left you last night. I sensed something was wrong. It turns out I was too late anyway, though." He paused, a sad look flashing through his eyes.

"It isn't your fault, Lonzo," Cassie assured him, hugging him. "Do you want Mother and me to help you? You know she has, er, experience, in these matters." Exotica looked at the ground, and looked furious at her daughter, though it was true. Exotica had had a fling with Macavity when she was still too young to have kittens. She knew how to deal with the torment he gave queens he wanted.

"You want me to help her?" Exotica's smooth alto voice drifted past the two felines. "I'm willing to do anything to help... I've dealt with this in the past." Lonzo nodded, leaning against Cassie, after realizing that Exi was okay with their relationship.

"Would you please, Exi? I'm sure Demi'd appreciate it, knowing that she's not alone," Lonzo replied, quite happier than he had been when he set out to find Exi and her daughter.

Exotica smiled warmly at the gold, black and white tom. "I'll do what I can, but I think it would be best if I waited until the morning is full before I tried to talk to her. In the meantime, I think it would be wise if I left you two lovers to yourselves..." Saying nothing more, Exotica vanished into the shrinking shadows.

Cassie grinned sleepily at Lonzo, and laid her head gently against his furry shoulder. Soft purring emanated from her chest, and she was soon dozing off next to him. Lonzo watched her sleep for a while, before realizing that he too was dozing into a peaceful sleep once more.

Exotica found Demeter at the dawn's first light. As she predicted, Demeter was awake already, although her sister and Munkustrap were asleep nearby. Demi was still curled in a ball, not wanting to break away from her warm sleeping position.

"Demeter?" Exi half-whispered at Demi, not entirely sure that she was awake, even though she thoroughly trusted her second sight. The golden queen's eyes flared open, her reddish head shot into the air, and she was instantly out of her curled up position and upon her feet, ignoring the rain that was falling softly around her.

"Who's there?" she hissed worriedly, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow, searching for the caller. Exi stepped forward, and Demi visibly relaxed at the sight of a familiar face. She exhaled as though she were very relieved. Exi smiled at her warmly.

"Alonzo wanted me to talk to you." She was sure to choose her words carefully, knowing that Demi might be offended that Lonzo had told someone.

Demi frowned, and furrowed her brow. She was, in a way, mad at Lonzo for telling someone who she didn't feel needed to know about her problems. However, she was glad that someone cared. "What do you want to talk to me about?" she ventured, wondering with caution what Exotica would ever want to talk with her about.

"Macavity."

Demeter bristled and turned away from her questioner. "What do you want me to say?" She grew cold toward the brown queen, and Exi wondered what Macavity had done to Demi that made her so cold about it. Demi trembled, and Exi approached her, concern showing on her delicate, ebony features.

"What did he do to you?" she inquired. "Whatever it was, I can probably relate." Demi seemed surprised. She turned to face the slender brown queen, so slowly it was almost as if she were cemented down.

"What?" she asked, outraged by the very idea that anyone would want to hurt gentle, sweet Exotica. "He hurt you? How? Why?"

"As for your last question, I have no idea. The second? He raped me, and is Cassandra's father. I suppose that that answers your first question as well." Exi seemed not in the least embarrassed about what had happened to her.

"How did you get past it?" Demi asked, desperate for the answer. She knew she couldn't continue blaming herself for what Macavity had done to her, like she had spent the previous night doing.

Exi smiled again. "I told myself that if I wasn't something special, why would he have done something like that? Because he knew I was too good for the likes of him. He would never be able to win someone like me, so he had to steal me."

"It worked?" Demi said, surprised. "I would never be able to convince myself of something like that." Exi noticed that Demi wasn't being so uptight any longer. She smiled at the thought, knowing that she was doing something good.

"I'll bet you can," Exi told her, "But I think you just need some help. And I think your family, and Munkustrap," she added meaningfully, "will give you all the help you need." With that said, the bronze coloured queen seemed to melt into the shadows.

Demeter watched her go, pondering what she had been told.

When Lonzo and Cassie awoke sometime in the early hours of the next day, a light drizzle had begun around them, but they both sensed that it would soon worsen into a downpour. Cassie shivered, and Lonzo put an arm around her slender, bronze coloured shoulders. Cassie subtly purred to him, and they went off to find something to eat.

Lonzo sniffed the air, searching it for the scent of a rat or something else that would be big enough for them to share as a meal. Both of the cats suddenly looked to their right, having both caught the lingering scent of a small rat. Cassie hunkered down into the pouncing position, and Lonzo circled around to the other side for an ambush on their potential meal, and did the same as Cassie.

Both of the cats were superb hunters, and figured that catching a rat would be child's play for them. And it was. The rat led them in winding circles before they caught it.

A few minutes later, they returned to the still Junkyard with their freshly caught meal. They ate it in complete silence, as neither one knew what to say to the other. Cassie nuzzled Lonzo, and the two of them decided that they had very little need for words at all.

"This romance is truly magical," murmured Cassie, and Lonzo thoroughly agreed.

"I've finally found someone who may be right for me," Lonzo told her, surprised that he was relating his feelings to her. Yet, it seemed natural for him to do so. Cassie seemed to be a part of him that had been missing since he was born.

"Really?" asked Cassie, almost seeming surprised herself. She smiled at Lonzo, and felt tears of happiness prick in her golden eyes. Lonzo hugged her, and she cried against him, but her tears were not of sadness.

"Yes," Lonzo told her, resting his head against her shoulder. He, too, found himself purring, and utterly at peace. This felt like it was truly meant to be.

There was silence between them for several minutes. Then, they both looked up. "Can we get out of the rain?" Then, they started laughing. They'd both said it at the same time.

"C'mon," Lonzo proposed, "Let's see if anyone's in that old oven." Cassie nodded her agreement, and they set off to check for other cats, and see if they were welcome to share the space if there were other cats there.

However, they did not have to worry about sharing the space in the old oven, because they found that no one was there already. Inside, it was dry, and there was a blanket spread across the metal floor of it. The sound of the rain clanging against the top of the oven was slightly annoying at first, but the two cats got used to it.

They took turns shaking out their fur outside, under the protection of a little overhang of junk that was stacked above the old oven. Then, thoroughly dry, they laid down together to sleep away the storm.

"Lonzo?" Cassie's voice drifted through the tom's head before he had fallen asleep. He propped himself up on his paws.

"What?" he tried not to let her know that he had almost been asleep, and that she had awakened him. He hadn't appreciated being woken up, but he didn't want to hurt Cassie's feelings either.

"Why me?" Her eyes glistened in the semi-darkness of the oven interior. Lonzo's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. Why was she asking such a question.

"I don't know," Lonzo replied honestly. "Because you're beautiful, and you're kind, and, I don't know. There's just a lot to like about you." Cassie smiled warmly. "Now, my turn," Lonzo said with a grin a moment later. "Why me, Cassie?"

Cassie giggled a bit and shrugged her slender shoulders. "I don't know, either, love. Let's go to sleep." And they did.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five **

Bombalurina stirred slightly as the rain increased in strength. Demi turned to watch her sister, as she had seen a flicker of movement from her in the corner of her eye. She smiled at her pretty, red sister, and curled up to keep herself warm in the chilly rain.

Bomba sat up wearily, and stretched her forepaws elegantly, spreading the pads on her toes wide. Her lips parted in a huge yawn, and she shook out her head. "Hi, Demi," she greeted her sister, noting that she was awake. "Cold?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at her sister's position. Demi nodded vaguely.

"Can we go somewhere out of the rain?" Bomba grinned at her sister.

"Sure." She was relieved that her sister seemed to be okay after her ordeal with Macavity, but said nothing to Demi. She didn't want to make Demi remember anything, if she didn't want to. The two queens got up, and retreated under the Old Ford.

It was much drier under the abandoned car, and the two queens settled down, watching the rain fall around them. It wasn't too much longer before they were joined by Munkustrap. He was still soaking wet, even though they were not. He smiled at bit at the queens, and seemed quite relieved that Demi was okay.

Demi felt herself blushing at his smile, and soon found herself avoiding his gaze. "I wonder where Lonzo is," she voiced a question that was still plaguing her mind. He hadn't returned to see if they were okay after the previous evening. Bomba and Munku both shrugged. Neither of them had seen him since the previous evening either.

"I haven't seen him," Munku replied. At this, Demi grew worried. Where was he? Why hadn't he come back? "He's probably with Cassandra," Munku said, trying to calm the fears that were playing across the golden queen's face.

"I didn't know he was in to Cassandra," Bomba commented, gracefully grooming her white forepaw. She stretched out her fingers (would they be fingers?), and carefully cleaned between them. She yawned a bit, and laid her head back down on her paws.

"I didn't know for certain that he was," Munku admitted with a slight shrug, "But I figured he was. He always paid special attention to her. I'm not sure he even realized he was doing it before now." The two queens seemed to have realized this as soon as it was pointed out.

There was an awkward silence amongst them for quite some time. "Rain sucks," Bomba muttered, staring out from under the old Ford, at the rain-drenched world around them. Demi nodded vaguely at her sister.

Bomba looked from Munku to Demi, back to Munku, and then back to her sister. "I'm in the way," she stated. Demi looked taken aback, and Munku somewhat confused. Bomba smiled at them. "You know what I mean. Both of you. I'm going to find some other shelter, and let you work out your feelings." Saying nothing more, Bomba darted out through the rain, and under another pile of junk that had a sort of cave hollowed out of it.

Demi watched Bomba leave, ready to die of embarrassment.

Munkustrap came up near Demeter. She shied away from him. She wasn't comfortable with him yet. "The nerve of her," she muttered after her sister, trying to hide the fact that she didn't want to be alone with any toms at the time. She felt her muscles tense, and wondered why she felt so insecure.

"Demi?" Munku ventured. Demi felt herself blushing deeply as he addressed her, and she found herself trying to avoid his gaze as a chill ran up her spine. "Is something bothing you?" Demi closed her eyes, and had the urge to say _Yes, there are tons of things bothering me right now. I don't know why Macavity did what he did. Should I still be happy with myself? Do I have feelings for you, Munku? Do you have feelings for me? What did Bomba mean just now?_ But instead, she said nothing for a while.

"Yes," she replied softly, after what seemed almost like an eternity of silence. "A lot of things are on my mind." And she hoped he would leave it at that and question her no further. She didn't think she was ready to talk to him about anything, and it bothered her that he was asking her to talk to him.

"Like what?" he inquired, irritating her further. Munku had a feeling he was bothering her, but he also felt that in the long run it would help her to talk about what was bothering her.

Demi bristled and turned her back to him. "I don't want to talk about it. Not to you. Not to anyone." She closed her eyes, wondering if what she said were really true or not. She wanted to tell someone, but she wasn't sure if she should talk to Munku.

"I didn't mean to pry," Munku told her. He sounded honest to her. "I thought I might be able to help." A crack of thunder resounded through the junkyard, and Demi visibly jumped. Munku smiled, and almost laughed at her; he had to force himself not to. He thought it was very cute that she was still afraid of storms.

"It's okay," Demi murmured after a time. She didn't know how to tell him that she appreciated his worry over her. Then, there was an awkward silence between the two of them. _What is happening?_ Demi wondered, _Why do I feel bad about not telling him what I feel about him? Why do I want to confide in him in the first place?_

"Demi?" Munku's voice broke her concentration. "Are you okay? You were zoning out or something." Demi shook her head to clear her thoughts, and to help her think of something to say to him.

"I'm fine," she replied, her voice cold as ice, even though she hadn't intended for it to be. More quiet and subdued, she added, "At least, I think I'm okay." Munku could see past her facade, and she knew it too. She just hoped he would leave her alone so she wouldn't have to deal with her feelings.

"You're lying," he pressed her. "You're not okay." Demi gritted her teeth. She fought back the urge to tell him he was right, that she was very insecure, that she hated herself for what Macavity had tried to do to her, that she loved him for caring about her, that she was mad at her sister for putting her in this awkward situation. But she didn't. She didn't think he would understand what she felt and what she was going through.

"You wouldn't understand," Demi hissed, anger flaring in her voice, despite her efforts to hide her emotions. She suddenly felt as though she were losing control of the situation.

"You don't know that," Munku said. "Macavity is my brother. I know some things about him too." That had never occurred to Demi. The two toms were so different, she thought that they had always hated each other, and that neither knew much about how the other worked. "Assuming, of course, that he is one of the things on your mind."

"Yes, he was," Demi responded hesitantly. "Why would he have done that to me?" She was interested to see if Munku would have an answer.

"I think he did it because he either likes you or he just wants to feel he has a measure of power over the tribe," Munku answered, after giving her question a moment or two of thought.

"And another thing," Demi continued as soon as he had answered her first question, "Why are you always around when something bad has happened to me? Is there some reason you care about me enough to do that?"

For that, Munku didn't know what to say. Should he tell her the truth, that he was attracted to her? Should he tell her he thought he owed it to Lonzo, which wasn't true? Or should he tell her something else?

"You don't have an answer, do you?" she asked, after there had been an eerie silence between them for at least two minutes, by her estimate.

Munku decided to be honest with her. After all, why should he lie to her in the first place? "No. I don't have an answer for you." His answer came out rather quietly, and he found himself for once avoiding her gaze, instead of the other way around.

Demi smiled, which came as a relief to Munku. Perhaps she wasn't mad at him after all. He'd been afraid that she might be angry with him, which was something he really didn't want. "Then you do understand, to some extent, what I'm going through," she told him. "I'm very confused, and I guess you know what that feels like." Demi appeared to have relaxed quite a bit.

"Yes," Munku said, trying to sound confident with his answer, although he wasn't entirely sure what he had been supposed to tell her.

The rain that had been falling hard outside was quickly becoming a mere drizzle, and the clouds overhead were vanishing, allowing the sun's rays to fill the junkyard, sparkling off puddles, and warming the air. "The rain has almost stopped," Demi observed.

"Yes," Munku noted, looking out from under the old Ford and observing the sky for a moment. "So it has."

"Then I'd better go," Demi said, with a sly grin. Munku looked at her strangely, and before he knew it, she'd kissed him lightly and vanished into the sunlight beyond. He stared after her.

Cassandra awoke sleepily sometime later. She yawned and stretched, then looked outside. It was no longer raining, and the sun was shining from the west. It must have rained most of the day. She found that Alonzo was still sleeping next to where she had been. She kissed him on the cheek, and entered the main area of the junkyard.

She noticed Bomba a short distance away, across the Junkyard's center. She approached her red-furred friend. "Hey, Bombs," she greeted her with a smile. "What's up?" she inquired, noting the somewhat worried expression Bomba wore on her face.

"Where's Lonzo?" asked Bomba right away. That question had been bugging her since dawn, when she had woken. "Munku said he was probably with you." Cassie smiled again, showing off her perfect, white teeth.

"He's still sleeping," she said, letting her fondness of him show on her low voice. "He's very cute when he's asleep," she continued, almost as an afterthought.

"That was something I didn't expect," Bomba said with a giggle. "Usually, he's in the thick of things by now."

"I know," Cassie agreed. "It's odd. But, Lonzo never likes to be considered normal at all. I think he just does what ever he wants, and doesn't care about predictability."

The two queens continued their conversation for quite some time, and they were joined by the Rum Tum Tugger. "I wonder how long it'll be before his fan club joins us," Bomba muttered to Cassie, more than a hint of annoyance on her voice. Cassie shrugged in mute reply.

Tugger was always followed about by a troupe of young, female kittens, who were always hoping to win Tugger's heart. None of them ever could, and it was the goal of most of the Jellicle queens to do so.

It was at about that time that Lonzo woke up, back in the oven. He yawned, stretched his stiff limbs, and left the warmth of the oven. He blinked as he entered the bright sunlight that filled the junkyard.

Right away, he noticed Bomba, Cassie and Tugger talking across the junkyard from where he was. He sauntered over to them, and laced his arms around Cassie. "Hey, love," he murmured in her ear. She giggled, and leaned her head back against him. Bomba raised an eyebrow at the pair.

"Let's go, shall we, Bombs, and leave these two in peace?" inquired Tugger, and Bomba gratefully agreed. She thought anyone who showed love like that in public was sickening. Bomba had never liked it when anyone did it, not even if it was her brother.

Bomba wasn't too eager to be alone with someone like the Tugger, but she figured it was better than watching Lonzo and Cassie. Besides, she knew Tugger could be okay sometimes.

"They're weird, aren't they?" Bomba said, trying to strike up a conversation with Tugger to break the mounting tension. "Cassie and Lonzo, I mean."

Tugger nodded. "Certainly are. Why do you hang out with them, then, if you think they're weird?" Bomba's brow furrowed. She'd never thought of it that way.

"I never really thought about it," Bomba told him, deciding to be honest. After all, what harm could talking about that do? Besides, she'd be the envy of all the queens if Tugger talked to her for more than a fleeting moment. She smiled at him. "But I suppose if they keep doing that, I won't hang out with them much longer."

"Care to join me for dinner?" Tugger asked suddenly, surprising both Bomba and himself with the question.

"What?!" Bomba was very surprised, and stunned. "I'm sorry..." she apologized for her immediate reaction to his offer, "But yes, I'd love to!"

"Really?!" Tugger was ecstatic. He'd had his eyes on Bomba for months, but never known how to approach a queen he'd really liked.

Bomba grinned happily. "Yes!" _Why would I turn down a date with the Tugger?_ she thought. It had always been her goal to impress all the other queens. This would make sure of it! Besides, how many queens did the Tugger ask out anyway? There had to be something special about her for him to ask her.

"Thank you, Bombs!" Tugger said, looking like an overjoyed kitten, which he certainly wasn't, age-wise. Tugger was almost a year older than her, and she was no longer a kitten.

"IT'S TUGGER!" came the cries of many of the younger kittens of the tribe. Bomba groaned, and wondered why they had chosen now to notice Tugger. Tugger rolled his eyes at the running kittens, and indicated that Bomba should leave. Bomba smiled at him, and did so. She didn't feel like watching the kits fawn over him any more than he had anticipated she would.

Instead, she found a somewhat dry spot to lay down, and laid down to bask in the warm rays of the sun before it set.


End file.
